Delta Dental of Arkansas Blog

Prehistoric Pearly Whites: All About Dinosaur Teeth

Teeth have come a long way since prehistoric times. When dinosaurs roamed the Earth some 231.4 million years ago, there were more than 1,000 different types of dinosaurs – each with a unique set of teeth.

Because teeth are denser than bones, they fossilize more readily. Thanks to those prehistoric pearly whites, scientists can tell how big the dinosaur was, what the dinosaur was able to eat -- even where the dinosaur lived!

The number of teeth dinosaurs had varied widely. Some species had no teeth, while some carnivores had 50 – 60 teeth. The hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinos) had up to 960 cheek teeth.

Want to learn more about fossilization and dino teeth?

Bring your little ones to the Clinton Presidential Center any Saturday in July from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Super Summer Saturdays!

Kids can build their own dinosaur, create fossil molds using clay and participate in dinosaur digs. Maybe one day, millions of years from now, someone will guess what you ate based on your pearly whites.